structure of remake 4

the structure of remakes 1, 2, and 3 is fairly easy to figure out, but remake 4 puzzled me. being a math nerd and a film nerd, i had to figure it out.

here is the simplest way i can put it, but this is an oversimplification that requires some explanation. the structure of remake 4 is:

11, 9*, 11, 1, 11, 7, 11, 3, 11, 5, 11, 5, 11, 3, 11, 7, 11, 1, 11, 9

1

9, 11, 1, 11, 7, 11, 3*, 11, 5, 11, 5*, 11, 3, 11, 7, 11, 1, 11, 9*, 11

there are 41 segments total. every other segment is 11 images, with the exception of what would be the 11th segment of 11 images. in place of the 11th segment of 11 images, there is a single image accompanied by the fast-tempo music that is otherwise reserved for segments of 11 images. this single image is the "1" that appears in the middle of the above list -- the "central" image that the commentator refers to. it is an image of a group of birds taking flight, which connects to the theme of birds in "The Falls."

the list of numbers above is the same backwards and forwards. taking out the segments of 11 images, the first 10 segments are:

9, 1, 7, 3, 5, 5, 3 , 7, 1, 9. this pattern is the same forwards and backwards. after the "central" image, this pattern is repeated, or reversed, which amounts to the same thing.

however, there are some "tricks" in this pattern. marked by *s, the first segment of "9" and the last segment of "9" contain only 3 images. but, in both of these segments, the music plays a different role than it does in other segments: the first image is accompanied by 4 cycles of the same music, the second image is accompanied by 1 cycle, and the third image is accompanied by 4 cycles: 4+1+4=9.

similarly, the segment of "3*" is only 1 image, accompanied by 3 cycles of the same music. the segment of "5*" is only 3 images: the second image is accompanied by 3 cycles of the same music, and the first and third images are accompanied by 1 cycle each: 1+3+1=5.

other than these exceptions, the number listed above for each segment corresponds to the number of images in the segment, and each of those images is accompanied by a single cycle of the music used in that segment.

many images and music patterns are repeated, so there are probably additional patterns if you map out those repetitions. but the above indicates the overall structure.